How to Create a Rustic-Style Kitchen

Antique Green

A distressed, green, butcher block-topped antique table inspired the entire look for this exuberant kitchen. Green cabinets in a slightly lighter hue and huge windows keep this kitchen from being too dark.

Cottage Flavor

Add a dash of cottage style with simple flea-market such as an oversize clock, baskets, and old-fashioned bins for pantry staples.

Stylist: Rose Nguyen

Timeless Kitchen Style

Keeping your cabinets and walls white will open up a small space, while color on the floor or ceiling will jazz it up without appearing too heavy. The two base cabinets, which stand in front of a large bank of windows, appear to be furniture. The countertops, made from old heart-pine, add more patina to the kitchen.

Petite Perfection

Eric Roth

Cottage Chic

This adorably cozy kitchen is home to cookie-making in the winter and lobster boils in the summer. Reclaimed pumpkin pine make up these sleek hardwood floors, and the kitchen island was a roadside find, made from cast iron and wood.

Megan Thompson

Cozy Kitchen

In the kitchen, a ceramic cow head from an old French shop stands guard over the nook designed to fit a giant antique butcher block.

Douglas Hill

Merged Spaces

In this home, one large, airy space contains the kitchen, dining room, and sitting area. The arched doorway and exposed beams are features that make this space appealing.

Photo: John Coolidge; Designer: Nancy Braithwaite

Highlands Kitchen

Harmonizing with its mountain-town setting, this kitchen features natural finishes and minimal fuss. The space delivers a feeling of age and hand-hewn character, despite its contemporary amenities. Fitting touches include an iron chandelier, wide-plank floors, and antiqued cabinetry.

Key West Color

Saddle Up

Tall ceilings and a cow hide rug make this Western-style kitchen a great entertaining spot and workspace.

Laurey W. Glenn

Weathered Wood

In this old-world kitchen, salvaged wood flooring inspires the entire space (and is an eco-friendly choice). Leftovers from the flooring were used to create the dining table, and pecky cypress kitchen cabinets complement the warm wood throughout.

Annie Schlecter

Clean and Green

In this simple kitchen, green subway tiles run all the way to the ceiling. Open shelving seems to float on the tile and provides extra storage, while sconces are great for task lighting.

Colleen Duffley

Natural Setting

In this coastal kitchen, natural materials bring the beach indoors; the window treatments, the area rug, the cabinets, and even the countertop accessories are reminiscent of the beach. The many textures are the key to perking up this neutral kitchen.

Annie Schlechter

Emerald Green Dream

This kitchen shows its playful side with bursts of green in the backsplash and wainscoting.

Robbie Caponetto

Rustic Kitchen

To give a new lake house kitchen the ambiance of a much older one, these homeowners used rough-hewn X-beams in the ceiling and travertine countertops as foils to the slick stainless steel appliances. Horizontal painted paneling mimics the look of an old-fashioned summerhouse.

Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn

Warm Walls

Simple and classic, wood walls and crisp white cabinetry never go out of style. Imitate this look with reclaimed wood, which adds character and reduces environmental impact. For an informal touch, hang café; skirts in place of lower cabinet doors.

Roger Davies

Rustic Cottage Kitchen

Shrimpers’ rope accents the edge of the countertop that is supported by columns found at another house. Old ship lights serve as a chandelier above the island.

Laurey W. Glenn

Rustic Cabin Kitchen

This family kitchen in Charlottesville, Virginia, looks like the workspace in a rustic log cabin, only with modern appliances. The large beams and cabinet fronts are made of wormy chestnut barn siding. Iron hardware made by a local craftsman is used throughout the space.

Antoine Bootz

Seamlessly connecting the outside and interior of this lakeside home, the expansive kitchen leads to the screened porch for easy summer entertaining. The refined yet rustic aesthetic of this house comes to life in the kitchen with its mix of a 7-foot refrigerator and light fixtures that resemble beehives.